Santa Baby
by katiecav
Summary: AUH. Bella and the gang all work at a department store in NYC. Bella's life is pretty simple till her secret santa turns her world upside down. But who is this gift giver and does she even want to find out?
1. Music Box

SANTA BABY

Story Summary: Christmas time in New York. What else could be more iconic, maybe a little love under the mistletoe? The gang all works at Cullen Department Store in NYC. Things are going well for Bella Swan until she starts getting mysterious gifts from her secret Santa. She wants to solve this mystery and everyone tries to figure out who Bella's secret admirer is. However something interesting begins to happen along the way, will Bella still want to find out who her Santa is when she thinks she's falling in love with someone else?

Chapter 1

_November 28, 2008_

I rolled over and opened my eyes, taking in my room for what might be the last time in some time. I would miss the faded blue walls and the old rocking chair in the corner. I would miss the old wood floors and small bathroom I shared with my father. I would even miss the clouds and rain. Forks Washington wasn't exactly the ideal vacation spot, but it was home. Now I would have to leave and make another home in a city that is 200 times as big as Forks and it scared me shitless. I heard the cabinets open and close downstairs and realized my dad must be awake. I closed my eyes as the fill with unexpected tears. In that moment, I knew what I would miss the most, Charlie.

My dad had been my rock ever since mom passed. He took on the role as not only a father, but as my mother. Through all the rough years he never once complained. He had always encouraged me to follow my dreams, and was disappointed when I turned down a scholarship to a Ivy League school so I could stay close to home and help him out when he was injured while on the job. He supported me while I worked my butt off in business school, a year later. Then, he encouraged me to apply for an internship with P&G when my professor recommended me. So now, here I was five months later ready to leave everything I knew behind for the unknown.

To top it all off, I realized I wouldn't be here for the holidays. This would be my first Christmas away from the house and it was hitting me really hard.

I heard the floorboard above the stairs creak, it was followed by a muffled conversation I couldn't really understand. I knew it wasn't my father, he would never make so much noise, so I threw the blanket over my head and tried to ignore it. Next, I heard the door to my bedroom open and the boards creaking as someone moved toward my bed. Then, suddenly they stopped. I smiled knowing exactly who it was. "You know, you guys fail at ninja," I said still with my head beneath the covers.

"Aw man! I thought for sure we had her," Seth's voice came through the blanket. I could feel him flop down on the bed to my right. I felt someone else flop down to my left.

"Come on, Bells, get up!" Jake's voice joined Seth's. I groaned. Suddenly, the blanket was pulled from my face and I squinted at the sudden onslaught of light.

"Hey!"

"Oh, quit whining," Jacob scoffed and I gave him my best sink eye as I brushed the hair out of my face.

"Yeah, Bells," Seth chimed in. "It's Christmas."

"No, it's not."

"Well, it's as close as we're going to get this year," Seth shot back.

"You could have just mailed me my presents."

"No, we couldn't have," I rolled my eyes at Jake's quick denial. "It wouldn't have been the same and you know it."

"Yeah, half the fun is watching your face," Seth smiled over at Jake

That look certainly got my attention. "What did you guys do?"

Jake shrugged, "Just some things to help you in the big city."

Seth chuckled. "Just make sure Charlie doesn't see all of them…"

"GUYS!" I sat up.

"Oh, we're only joking Bella, chill out," Seth scoffed.

"Like we'd get you anything you couldn't open in front of your father…those we'd mail to you." My mouth dropped open in shock as I looked over at Jacob. "Joking…Jeesh, who died and took your sense of humor with them?"

"Okay…come on, we were told to come and get you," Seth said, slapping my hip.

"Uh…five more minutes." I flopped back down on my pillow.

"Nope."

"Aw, come on you guys." I knew I was whining, but I had a good reason. I figured if I didn't start the day, then it couldn't end, right?

"Bella, if you won't come willingly…"Jake's voice was menacing and I didn't like it one bit.

"Jake…" I warned, but to no avail. Before I knew it, I was being thrown over his shoulder. "JACOB BLACK PUT ME DOWN!" I beat at his back as he carried me down the stairs.

"Boys, I told you to get her up, not cart her around like a sack of potatoes." I heard my father say, as I continued to try to get Jake to put me down.

"Oh, for heavens sake Jake, put the girl down." A soft voice said from the kitchen. Thankfully, Jake listened and he put me down on my feet. "Thank you, Sue," I said as I pushed my hair out of my face again. I walked over and kissed Sue on her cheek. Sue was Seth's mom and had been seeing my dad for the past two years. I really liked Sue and she made my dad the happiest I'd seen him, in a long time.

"Good morning Bella," she said, softly smiling at me then continued her cooking.

I walked over to the table to sit down, taking a detour and punching Jake hard in the bicep. He reached up to cradle his arm. "Ow…"

"Baby," I murmured, knowing full well he could hear me.

"Chief never should have let you go to those classes, they've made you violent."

"You're lucky I didn't aim elsewhere."

Sue and Seth busted out laughing at that point and my dad finally decided it was time to intervene. "Okay kids…" he told us in a warning tone before he walked over to me and kissed me on the forehead. "Morning sweetie."

"He started it," I muttered before addressing my father, "Morning dad."

"So, where's Leah?" I asked as Sue placed a heaping pile of pancakes on the table and sat down.

"She had to head back to Seattle for school," Sue explained and I nodded. Leah was Sue's oldest daughter. She is my age, but she was going to grad school at UW this year. We got along okay, it's gotten better in the past year. I was definitely closer to Seth than I am with her, but we were friendly with each other when we need to be. We all ate breakfast amid comfortable conversation. Finally, we made our way to the living room and I noticed that they had done it up for the holidays, complete with tree.

"You guys…"

"Hush, Bells…" My dad shook his head cutting me off.

"Thank you." I hugged him and he held me tightly.

"You're welcome, sweetie." he whispered as he kissed the top of my head. "Now, come on, let's open our presents."

We settled in around the tree drinking our coffee and laughing at the gifts that we were opening.

"I can't believe our little Bella is going off to some big city internship. Who would have thought that you'd be the one living in New York?" Jake said.

"I did. I knew that she was destined for stardom," my father said, hugging me around the shoulders.

"It's a business internship, not an acting job on some movie set," I said my cheeks flushing.

"Oh whatever…" Jake rolled his eyes at me and tossed me another present. About a half hour later my father got up from the couch and walked over to the closet.

"So, there's one more," he said, as he came out of the hall with a box.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. They'd already given me so much. I felt silly receiving so much, but they knew this was the only way they'd get me to receive these things.

"No listen…you're going clear across the country, and I wanted to make sure you remembered where you came from."

"Daddy…"I said quietly, as I reached for the package he held out. I was surprised by the weight of the object. Did they get me a brick?

"Open it," Seth encouraged from his spot on the floor near me. I smiled and began to tear off the paper. My breath left me in a whoosh when I saw what was hidden by the green and silver paper. There was an ornately carved rosewood box in front of me. I studied the carvings and traced them with my fingers knowing immediately who had carved it. I looked up to see Jake smiling back at me. There on the back, between the ornately carved scrolls and leaf work was the Quileute tribal sign. On top, there was an elegant Swan that had been painted white to stand out against the dark grain of the wood. I turned it over and was surprised to see a crank at the bottom.

I looked up confused. "Go on…" Sue encouraged. I turned the crank and heard a light tinkling of my favorite tune.

"It plays your favorite…" Dad explained. I looked up at him and saw that he had tears in his eyes. I shot up out of my seat and launched myself in his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you guys, so much," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.

"Just remember Bella, we love you very much, and every time you look at that box, remember us," my father whispered tightening his hold.

I buried my face in his shoulder as the tears fell from my eyes. "I could never forget you guys. Never."


	2. This Year

Chapter 2 -

_November 28, 2010_

I rolled over and smacked my alarm clock then smiled when the dark music box caught my eye. It is still one of my most prized possessions. Everytime I see the dark stained wood exterior, I think of home. It was strange that I've been in New York for two years, but I still consider Forks home. I'd taken the internship, worked my butt off for a year and hadn't been offered the position. When my boss made the announcement of who would fill the full time position, I was ready to run back home. Then, I realized I didn't want to face the fact that I had failed. I'd been away from my family for a year; all in the name of a job I didn't get.

However, the train of bad luck didn't stop there, because not only was I out of a job, I had to move too. There was no way I could afford my apartment downtown without the company pitching in on the expenses. Now a year later, I was actually glad for the move. I had made my SoHo apartment comfortable, but I never got that feeling that came with _home_. It was just an apartment, an apartment that I'd come across by pure accident. I was meeting up with an agent looking at some other properties when I saw the 'Apartment for Rent' sign in a window of a store called the _Open Book_.

_As soon as I opened the door a bell signaled my entrance and I was hit with that musty smell that always comes with those great bookstores. My eyes roamed the shelves at the front of the store. I reached my hand out to trace the spines of some of the older ones. I pulled a worn copy of Wuthering Heights from among the numerous titles. I flipped open to a random page and began reading. _

"_It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him; and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am." _

_I was startled by a throat clearing behind me. I jumped and turned to see a small woman with gray hair studying me closely."Can I help you?" She asked sweetly._

"_Oh yes…" I turned to place the book back on the shelf and tucked my hair behind my ear before turning back in her direction. "I actually saw the sign in the window and wanted to know if I could see the apartment?" _

_The woman's wrinkled face broke into a huge grin. "I had a feeling that's what you were here for." She extended her hand toward me. "My name is Ellen."_

"_Bella. I'm Bella Swan." I grasped her hand and her back stiffened and she stared off into space. "Are you alright?" I asked slowly._

_Ellen slowly blinked and shook her head slightly as if she was clearing it from a fog. "I'm sorry, dear," She chuckled and smiled. "I sometimes forget myself."_

"_It's no problem at all," I told her, but something was telling me that Ellen wasn't merely forgetting herself. I didn't get a chance to really ponder what had occurred because Ellen abruptly changed the subject. _

"_Would you mind if I ask you a few questions before I show you the space?" She held her hands wide indicating the rear of the store._

_I smiled and nodded politely, "Of course." I had been expecting to answer questions, it was a normal part of the application process. I assumed we were going to her office, but as we made our way back, I was surprised to see a small kitchen at the back of the store._

"_Would you like some tea dear?"_

"_That would be lovely, thank you." She turned on the stove and set the kettle on the burner. I looked around taking in the cozy homey feel of the place._

"_It's unusual I know, having the kitchen here, but I sometimes like to cook and bake in my down time. The store isn't always busy and I have some college kids help out occasionally and I feed them for their work." I nodded at her explanation. Ellen seemed like a generous and good soul. I was beginning to discover how rare those are in the city. She reminded me of my grandmother, though I'd only met grandma Swan a few times before she passed. _

_Ellen moved to sit in the chair across from me. "While we wait for the water to boil why don't you tell me about yourself"_

_She took me by surprise. Usually most landlords just wanted to know the basics and that was it. If you had a job, what your credit was like, if you were going to have pets, things of that nature. "What would you like to know?"_

_Ellen folded her wrinkled hands on the table top. "Well…let's start small, where are you from?"_

_I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I thought about my hometown. "I'm from this(a) small town in Washington state."_

_Ellen's eyes widened in surprise, "Washington? My, you're away from home, aren't you?"_

_I felt my smile drop slightly, "Yes ma'am."_

_Ellen picked up on the small change, "You miss it?" she said sympathetically._

"_Very," I said sadly, but then I felt the need to say more. "I love New York, especially around this time of year. There's something about New York at Christmas time, but it's not home, you know?"_

_Ellen nodded, "I do, I lived in Phoenix for a while myself, but I missed the cold. Never thought I would, but I did."_

_I chuckled, "I feel the same about all the rain. Now every time it rains or snows I feel that much closer to Forks."_

"_Forks?"_

"_The town."_

"_Ah, I see." The kettle whistled and she got up and retrieved the tea bags and two mugs. "So, what is it that brought you to New York? I take it you've been here for a while."_

"_Yes ma'am. I came for an internship at P&G."_

"_My, my, that's quite a big company." She was obviously impressed and that made me feel that much more like a failure._

"_Yes," I said trying to mask the sudden disappointment in myself._

"_Lemon or sugar?" Ellen asked as she placed the mugs on the table._

"_No thank you, ma'am"_

"_Bella, please call me Ellen," Ellen said as she sat back down in her seat._

"_Ellen," I said, then I sighed. I knew that if I really wanted the apartment I should try to make myself sound as good as possible, but I just couldn't make myself do it. "I don't want to lie to you. I didn't get offered the position permanently at P&G. I don't have a job right now, but I'm looking. I have my business degree, I already have some applications out there, but with this economy…"_

_Ellen reached across the table and patted my hand. "Bella…don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find something. You're a smart girl, you have a business degree you said?"_

"_Yes." I was slightly shocked that she didn't even bat an eye about the fact that I had no steady employment right now. _

"_So, I take it you were living closer to downtown then?"_

"_Yes, I was, but P&G was paying for half of my rent and now well…I was told I could stay, but I would be forced to pick up the tab and I just can't afford it. I was told I needed to move out by the end of the week."_

"_Well then, I suppose you should follow me." I sighed when she lead me out the door. I suppose I couldn't blame her really. I had no steady income, why would she want me as a tenant._

_I plastered a smile on my face, "Thank you for your time," I said before turning to walk away._

"_And where are you going? The apartment is this way, dear."_

_I turned back in surprise, "Oh. I thought…" _

"_I know…" she said as she unlocked a door a few feet away from the entrance of the book store. "It's a private entrance to the loft above," she told me as I followed her up the stairs._

_She told me how many square feet the apartment was, along with random tidbits of information about it as we made our way. My mouth dropped. I couldn't understand why this place was vacant. It was airy and open, not at all like my dark and cramped high rise studio apartment. Light colors on all the walls and windows that covered one wall that looked out onto a small grassy area bellow. Late afternoon sun shone through the glass, creating shadows on the light hardwood._

"_What do you think?" Ellen asked with a twinkle in her eye._

"_Ellen…this is beautiful," I whispered as I took another step into the space doing a full circle to take it all in. Images were already filling my mind. How I could update the kitchen, where the bed would go. Ellen just smiled and watched me. "How is this place still available? It's perfect." _

"_It's perfect for _you_."_

_I sighed. She was right. It was perfect for me. It was almost exactly what I had always wanted in a place, but there was one problem, "Ellen, there's no way I can afford a place like this."_

_She waved off my protest. "Oh. Pssh…you haven't even asked me how much."_

"_Okay…how much?"_

"_Not a penny more than $300 a month."_

_My jaw dropped. "What? Ellen, you can't be serious!" I knew that normal apartments like this would go for close to 800 a month, if not more._

"_Of course I am." She sounded completely sure of her statement, but I didn't want to take advantage of such a nice woman. This apartment was worth so much more than that._

"_But…" I tried to reason with her._

_Ellen cut me off. "I see something in you, little miss Bella, something I haven't seen in a while. This place has been vacant for some time now."_

"_At 300 a month, I can't see why."_

"_Well, that might not have been exactly what I was asking for," she said slyly. I opened my mouth, but she continued. "I didn't want just anyone living here you see. I'm an older woman and I want to have someone here I can trust. I was just waiting for the perfect person to come, and you're that person."_

"_But I don't even have a job."_

"_Well, you can come and work with me in the shop, until you find something. I would love for you to take a look at my account books and see what you have to say."_

"_Ellen, are you sure?"_

"_Of course I am. I can tell you love the place. You're a small town girl like me. We have to stick together here in this big city. Now, what do you say? When do you want to move in?"_

"_Is tomorrow too soon?" I was only half joking, but Ellen smiled._

"_Not at all. In fact, I might be able to enlist us some help."_

"_Us?"_

"_Of course dear, us." She pulled a cell phone out from her pants pocket and dialed a number. While she was on the phone I wandered around the apartment a little. Inspecting a little bit. It was in very good shape actually. No bare wires or peeling wallpaper anywhere. After only a few minutes there was a knock on the door at the base of the stairs._

"_Aunt Ellen?" a tinkling voice called._

"_Up here, Alice dear," Ellen called back. A second later a petite woman with spiky black hair appeared. "Bella, this is my niece Alice. She lives across the square there," Ellen said indicating the townhouses across the grassy patch. "Alice, this is Bella Swan. She's moving into the apartment." I extended my hand to Alice, but was surprised when she pulled me into a hug instead. I should have been uncomfortable by that, but for some reason I wasn't. I smiled as she pulled away._

"_Alice…maybe you could help our dear Bella here."_

"_With what?" Alice asked her Aunt._

"_Is Cullen's hiring right now?" Ellen asked._

"_I'm not sure, but I'm sure I can find out."_

"_Cullen's? The department store downtown?" I asked confused._

"_Yep. The one and the same. I work there," Alice explained._

"_I see." I nodded my head._

_Ellen broke in, "Bella here has her business degree and just got done with an internship at P&G. She's looking for something new." I nearly laughed at how she conveniently left out that they hadn't thought I was good enough to keep on._

"_Well, I'm sure they'd hire you with credentials like that. If you want, I can talk to the hiring manager tomorrow?"_

_I looked at her skeptically, "You would do that for me? You don't even know me." _

"_I have a feeling, Bella. You and I are going to be best friends." _

_I didn't really know what to say to that, so I settled for accepting her help. I wasn't exactly in a position to turn down a possible job. "Thank you, Alice, I would love it if you could talk to them."_

"_Great," Ellen said with a smile. "Now that is settled. How about I fix us all some dinner and we can get to know each other more?"_

"_Ellen…" I didn't want to impose anymore than I already had._

"_No. No arguments. One thing you will learn about me, child, is that I always get my way, and I want to help you."_

"_Thank you," I whispered as she took my hand in hers._

Alice Brandon and I have been friends ever since she came dancing into my life that day. Alice hadn't waited to talk to the hiring manager, instead calling him right after we finished dinner with her aunt. I received a phone call from Cullen's offering me a managerial position the next day. I was a little nervous about just waltzing into a position like that, but working in the same department as Alice gave me hope. So, I accepted the job and now worked in the housewear department at Cullen's. I still look at Ellen's books at the end of every week though, I refused to let her generousness go unpaid.

**maybe you could make a little page break mark here, even just putting the **

I rolled out of bed and nearly tripped over Quincy laying on the floor. He lifted his head and gave me his best impression of the doggy stink eye. "What? It's not my fault. You're the one laying in my path to the bathroom." He harrumphed and put his head back down. I rolled my eyes and made my way into the bathroom.

Quincy was Alice and Ellen's idea of a guard dog. I'd received the golden retriever for Christmas last year. He was a rescue that Alice and Ellen had adopted from the shelter. He was more inclined to lick an intruder to death than anything else, but he was useful at keeping me company on most days. I finished up my morning bathroom routine. I went back to my bedroom to get my outfit on and there was Quincy buried in the spot where I'd slept last night.

"What is it you think you're doing?" asked staring at him and as if he was answering he tried to cover his head with my pillow. "I can still see you," I said chuckling and heading to my closet. I pulled on my clothes. "Do you have to go outside?" When he didn't move or make any indication, I sighed. "Okay then. You'll have to hold it till Ellen gets you for lunch," I told him walking to my kitchen. I pulled out some bagels from the fridge and popped them in the toaster. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and Quincy shot out of my bedroom and down the stairs. Both he and I knew who it would be.

Alice and I always split a taxi fare when we worked the same days, and we always made sure we had the same schedule. That was one of the perks of being a manager, getting to pick my own schedule. "Come on up, Ali!" I screamed down to her. She and Ellen both had keys to my apartment; Ellen in case of emergencies, Alice because of our morning ritual. I heard her greet Quincy and seconds later she appeared at the top of my stairs holding two travel cups full of coffee and a smile. "Good morning," She chirped. Alice was always a morning person, much to my dismay. I was getting better, but I never was truly happy waking up in the morning. "You ready?"

"Almost, breakfast is on the counter," I said as I dashed into my room to locate my shoes for the day. I emerged still pulling on my tennis shoes.

"I really need to take you shoe shopping." Alice huffed around her bite of bagel. I rolled my eyes and didn't respond. Alice always said that when she saw me putting these shoes on. The sad thing was, she had taken me shoe shopping, but it still wouldn't make me change what shoes I would wear to work. I didn't know what I would be doing during the Christmas rush season. I have an entire department under my watch and I would sometimes have to literally sprint from one place to another, which is not conducive to heel wear, at least not for me. I pulled on my coat, grabbed my keys and bag. I reached down and pat Quincy on the head.

"Ellen will be up to get you later, boy. Behave," I told him before reaching for my bagel and the coffee cup. "Okay…I'm ready," I told Alice. I held the bagel in my mouth as I put up the doggy gate at the top of the steps to keep Quincy off the steps and we finally made our way out to our first day of work since the holiday break.

Cullen's was big on the holidays and even though it wasn't the best business plan as far as sales went, they closed down every holiday to give people time with their families. However, even Cullen's wasn't stupid enough not to be open on the day after Thanksgiving. Luckily, Alice and I didn't have to work the morning black Friday traffic, but we were going in as reinforcements for those poor guys that had to be at the store at four this morning to set everything up.

Alice and I chatted back and forth the whole way to work about anything and everything. We were deep into a discussion about the newest episode of Dancing with the Stars when we reached the employee locker room.

"I just don't understand how they could vote for him. He wasn't even close to the best dancer. I refuse to watch next season. It doesn't have anything to do with how talented they are. It's just about how big their fan base is. It's exactly why I stopped watching American Idol. I mean how was it even possible that Taylor won? What were they thinking? Has he even done anything since then? We hear about Kellie and Carrie all the time, but never Taylor."

I rolled my eyes and put my bag in my locker and reached for my name tag in the cubby at the top.

"I mean, the last thing I heard about him was, he was taking a part in the musical Grease as that guy that sings 'Beauty School Drop Out'. I mean how lame is that? He's on stage for what, five minutes..."

"What are you chicas talking about?" Rose asked, suddenly appearing at our side.

Rosalie Hale is what would be described as a blonde bombshell. However, she is everything but stupid. She is working on her degree in business from NYU and I had taken her under my wing last year when she was looking for a tutor in math. She's the senior salesperson in the Women's Apparel department and is probably one of the most amazing people I'd ever met. Most of the other department workers call her an ice queen, but that is the funny thing about Rose. She takes a while, but once she opens up to you, she'll be the most supportive and fierce friend you have. Most of the girls in the apparel department didn't take that type of time. They spend their time shooting daggers at her for attracting all the male attention.

"The travesty that was Taylor winning American Idol," Alice explained to our friend as she set her stuff in her locker.

"And how it skewed Alice on reality voting shows since," I finished for her, with a laugh.

"Ah, I see." Rose nodded with a smirk.

"How are you this morning?" I asked, once I pinned my tag to my blouse.

"Fine." Rose sighed, hanging her coat up.

"What's with the sigh?" I asked sitting down on the bench. We still had time before we had to clock in and something was bothering her, I could tell.

"Nothing. I really am fine, surprisingly," she replied quickly. I cocked my eyebrow at the surprisingly, but she changed the subject. "So, anything exciting happen to either of you this weekend?"

"Nope, not really," Alice said, studding Rose intently. Evidently, she didn't miss the sigh either.

"I cooked dinner for Ali and Ellen, but that was about it," I replied.

"How about you?" Alice asked Rosalie.

"Nothing, really."

"Cut the crap, Rosalie." Alice snapped back as she shut her locker.

Rose sat down next to me on the bench. "Well, let's just say it looks like I'll be accepting that invitation for Christmas."

"Royce changed his mind?" I asked slightly confused.

"No. I changed mine when I walked in on him and his secretary yesterday." I heard the anger in her voice and I couldn't help but gasp at her reveal. Who would cheat on Rose?

"Oh my god! How are you doing? Stupid question. You want to talk about it?" Alice said quickly taking a seat on her other side.

Rose shrugged. "There's not a lot to talk about. I went into his office to take him lunch and there they were, and she wasn't helping him with his messages that was for sure."

"Oh babe, I'm so sorry," I said slinging my arm over her shoulder and giving her a one armed hug.

"It's better that I find out now than after the wedding, you know."

"Yeah," I agreed sadly.

She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it anymore. We're done and that's not going to change, and I didn't lie to you guys when I told you I was fine. I am. "

"Okay…" I said cautiously.

"I have an idea, let's go out tonight, just us." Alice piped up.

"I can't go tonight, I've got class," Rose said, but then she smiled. "How about tomorrow?"

"That's fine with me, as long as you promise me not to wallow."

"Oh, I won't wallow. You know I've felt off about things for a while now. I just couldn't pin down a real reason to call it quits that he wouldn't pass off as cold feet." I took the time to change my shoes while they discussed their plans.

"Still, this deserves a girls night," Alice said with enough finality to end the discussion. Then she turned to me. "So, how about it Bells?"

That made me look up. "What? Why do I have to go along?"

"Oh, come on Bella. Just dinner and drinks," Rose hedged.

"Psh…please, we're hitting the town." Alice immediately shot down my hope for a quiet night, not that I should have even thought for a moment that was going to happen. Alice shot up out of her seat and grabbed a hold of Rosalie. "You need to go dancing…" She said as she preceded to dance with her around the room

"Goodie." I didn't even bother hiding the sarcasm in my voice, but couldn't help my chuckle and smile when I heard Rosalie laugh.

"Why is there dancing in the locker room?" A deep male voice said in my ear suddenly making me jump. I spun to see one of my best male friends in the city, Emmett McCarty. Emmett used to play football for NYU and boy did he look like it. He was at least 6'2" and every bit of 250 pounds, and was all muscle. He got injured his junior year and lost his scholarship, so he ended up working at Cullen's after he graduated to help pay off student loans and never left.

"Hey Emmett." I chuckled as we stood side by side and watched the scene in front of us. "They convinced me to leave the loft tomorrow night."

He chuckled quietly. "And that is cause for celebration?"

"Apparently." I smirked and rolled my eyes.

"Can I join in?" He asked loudly. The girls immediately stopped their dancing and spun to see who was there.

"Oh…Emmett," Rosalie said slightly breathless from her dance with Alice.

"Good morning Alice, Rosalie…" Emmett smiled at them largely showing his dimples.

"Morning." Came Rose's quiet reply. I even noticed the tops of her cheeks turn slightly pink. Huh. That was interesting.

"So is Bella here so much of a hermit that it's cause for dancing when she's convinced to go out?" he asked them giving my shoulder a shove.

"No." Rose interrupted Alice, who was probably going to launch into a tale of how I never leave my home. "Alice was trying to cheer me up, and it worked." She finished with a smile at Ali.

"And why are you sad, Rosie?" Emmett asked while the grin dropped from his face.

"She and Royce called it off," I told him.

"I'm sorry Rose," Emmett said quietly.

"It's okay. Thank you though, Emmett," she said and he nodded. "Are you ladies ready to go up?" We nodded our heads and began to make our way out the door, when Emmett grabbed my arm.

"Hey Bells, can I ask you a question?"

I looked at him curiously, "Sure Em," I told him before I turned to the girls. "You guys go ahead I'll meet you up there." I waited until they left the locker room to address Emmett. "So, what's up?"

"You know what's up."

"Emmett, really?" I asked, but I couldn't help the smile spread across my face after a while at the look he was giving me.

"Come on, Bells. You know I've been waiting forever…" he begged.

"Emmett, she just got out of a three year relationship," I whispered glancing at the door hoping that Rosalie and Alice had really gone ahead without me.

"Please. I'm not above begging." Then he surprised me by getting down on his knees. "Please. Please. Please."

He looked so earnest I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Okay, fine. I'll text you when I know where we're going."

"Really?" he asked, excitement lighting up his face.

"Yes, really." I still hadn't gotten control of my laughter, but I was starting to worry about what someone would think coming in and seeing this. "Now will you please get up?"

I squealed when I was suddenly pulled into his arms and he began swinging me around while he jumped up and down, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, than…" he repeated.

"Emmett, will you stop molesting Bella please." A smooth southern voice cut him off from saying it again and Emmett put me down having the good grace to look slightly ashamed at his display.

I steadied myself against the locker and pushed the hair out of my face. "Thank you Jasper," I said finally clearing my vision enough to stare at the good looking Texan. Jasper was our token southern gentleman. He was always sweet, laid back and easy to talk to. He was certainly all Alice had talked about since he started working here last year. She was half way to being in love with him already, but she didn't think he knew she existed.

"No problem, Bella," he said throwing a white smile in my direction.

I looked at the clock on the wall and realized I had about one minute to clock in. I rushed over to the system and scanned my fingerprint. "Now that I've been shaken _and _stirred, I have a job I must get to," I chuckled.

"You won't regret it Bells!" Emmett called out to me.

"I better not Emmett!" I called back as I headed to the elevators down the hall.

"What won't you regret?" a honeyed voice asked from behind me. I knew who it was before I even turned to see who had spoken. I couldn't stop the smile from crossing my face as I turned to look into his soft green eyes.

"Hey Edward."


	3. Happy Christmas War is Over

Chapter 3 - Happy Christmas (War is Over)

"You going up?" I asked as I pushed the button to call the elevator down to the basement.

"Yeah." He answered with a smile.

I looked up to see the light indicating the elevator was stopped on the second floor, when it didn't immediately begin to move I knew we'd be waiting for a while. There was only one elevator that went to the bottom floor and it was a slow extra large service elevator on the back side of the building that we used for moving merchandise, which is what I suspected was happening now. I leaned against the wall and smiled at my companion.

Edward Masen and I had met on my first day of training and developed a fast friendship even though he was technically my supervisor at the time. Edward was only a few years older than me and was one of the other members of the staff that had attended business school. We had found we had much in common and now I considered him one of my best friends. When it came time for my promotion Edward had been the one who'd put my name in. Edward was a floor manager at Cullen's, all that really meant was he made sure none of the department managers killed each other, our sales reps, or ourselves in our attempts to "offer the best service possible to our customers".

Working with Edward, you came to realize there were two personalities living in the same body. The Edward that was all about work and the Edward that was as sarcastic and snarky as the rest of us. The physical differences between the two was always slight, but I knew how to read him. His hair was combed and slicked back and his eyes shone a vivid green behind his black framed spectacles, but it was the smile that gave him away. It was his sincere smile, the one that was infectious. "So…how was your holiday?" I asked with a small chuckle.

His mouth twitched up into an even larger grin as he responded. "Oh it was okay, watched the parade, ate too much, fell asleep on the couch to a football game the usual. How about you?"

I laughed, "Pretty much the same actually."

"You watch football?" He scoffed.

"Your tone wounds me Masen." I exclaimed sarcastically. Edward looked at me over the rims of his glasses skeptically, so I amended my tone and told the truth. "Okay so I sleep to football."

Edward chuckled once, "Why even have it on then?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's kind of tradition for me and my dad, even though he couldn't be here this year…"

Edward reached his hand out rest on my shoulder in a comforting manner. "I'm sorry to hear that Bella. I'm sorry _I_ couldn't make it."

I waved off his apologies. "That's fine, I understand. I had Alice and Ellen to keep me company."

"Well that's good." He said dropping his hand from my shoulder.

"Yeah. It was nice." I answered truthfully because it had been. I enjoyed spending time with my NYC family. I had invited all of my close friends but I understood that many of them already had commitments to keep. I didn't know what Edward's plans had been, for as close as we were, we never really talked about many personal things like family. I got the feeling that the discussion made Edward nervous so I steered clear of it. "I have plenty of leftover's, if you're interested," I told him trying to keep my tone light.

"Oh really?" He said with a raised brow and I chuckled thinking of all of the food in my refrigerator.

"Yeah. Apparently none of my thanksgiving recipes come in any quantity other than extra large. So I'm pretty sure I'll be eating turkey for the next week anyway."

"Well I'd be happy to take some of that off your hands."

"I thought you would." I said with a genuine laugh. "You know, you'd figure a grown man living on his own would learn how to use a stove."

He held his hand over his heart as if he'd been mortally wounded. Quickly catching on to my teasing tone. "I know how to use it. I'm just not very efficient at it." I laughed again at his understatement. "Maybe I should watch one of your cooking demonstrations." He made a reference to my by weekly demos that I had to put on in the cookware.

"Maybe you should." I told him with a sly smile. "Then you might be able to at least use more than the microwave." I said the last part over my shoulder as I walked into the open elevator.

"I know how to use more than the microwave." I gave him a disbelieving look as he came to stand next to me. "What? I do." He assured me pressing the button for the fourth floor.

"The sandwich press incident." I reminded him with a raised brow.

"One time Swan…one time."

"Yeah and it was the last time I let you help me test out a new product."

"True." He told me. His eyes took on a far away look and I knew that he was remembering the incident as well. I had needed help that day and Edward was the only one that could be spared. Needless to say it was lucky we kept a fire extinguisher near by.

"Have you been up there yet?" I interrupted his contemplation and pointed to the ceiling of the elevator.

He shook his head slightly as if to clear it and then answered. "Oh yeah. I've been here for a few hours already. Hope you're ready Swan. Today is D-day."

I laughed at his history reference. "Are we at war Masen?"

"I think so." He said before the door opened and I saw exactly what it was he was talking about. I was seeing absolute madness even in this far corner of the store. The staff elevator emptied out in the very back of the woman's department and I hadn't seen it this busy since last year's prom season.

"Oh…my." I said as I was almost run over by a woman with her arms full of sweaters.

"Yeah." Edward said grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the way.

"I've never seen it this crazy before." I told him as I watched with wide eyes.

Edward chuckled. "It's something else this year. With the economy so down everyone is looking for deals."

"I guess so."

"It should die down after the early bird sales are done with." He tried to reassure me.

"I hope so. I didn't bring enough five hour energy to deal with this all day long." I tried to walk away but Edward grabbed a hold of my wrist.

"Hey you never did say what is it that you won't regret." He reminded me.

I laughed. "Oh it's Nothing. I just agreed to help Emmett out with his crush."

"Oh."

"Yeah…don't tell him I told you this, but he's been pinning after Rosalie for years."

"Rosalie?" His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yep."

"Oh I thought…I thought she was engaged."

"Not anymore." I said softly. I didn't want to say much more because it really wasn't my news to share, and even though I knew Edward wasn't one to spread gossip I didn't know who Rose wanted to know.

"Well that's too bad." He said with a sad smile.

"Yeah." I agreed before turning again.

"Hey careful out there Swan, it's a war zone." he told me.

"_War is over if you want it. War is over now_…" I sang out.

"Really Swan?" Edward asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. It's a Christmas song."

"Uh-huh," Edward said sarcastically, but he couldn't fool me. I knew him too well.

"Don't pretend you don't know it," I said with a smirk.

"I'm never letting you see my iPod again."

"As if you could stop me," I said shoving his shoulder playfully before walking away from him. I walked under a speaker and heard what song was playing over the store sound system. I turned back to see Edward still standing there watching me. "Ha! It's a sign!" I pointed to the ceiling indicating the Lennon song I had just been singing.

Edward laughed along with me. "Get to work Swan!" He reprimanded jokingly. I laughed loudly as I walked toward my department to start what might be the longest day I'd had in quite some time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~SB~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It really was a zoo. From nearly the first moment I set foot on the floor, I was in motion. If I wasn't helping customers or running the register, I was doing one of four of my cooking spots. Demo's were my favorite part of my job. It gave me a real opportunity to connect with the customers and to showcase my cooking ability to more than just Ellen, Alice and Quincy. Although they were always appreciative, it was nice to hear other people say that they liked my food.

I was in the middle of a conversation with a regular customer, Mrs. Cope, when I noticed Edward walk into my line of site over her shoulder. I smiled at him and finished bagging up Mrs. Copes purchases. "Here you are Mrs. Cope," I told her handing them over. "Your receipt is in the bag as well as some extra cookies for your husband."

"Bella...you think everything. Thank you."

"Thank you Mrs. Cope. Happy Holidays."

"Happy Holidays to you too dear," she replied to me in a sweet grandmotherly way as she walked away.

I fell back against the back counter "That was nice of you." Edward said coming closer to where I was leaning.

"What Mrs. Cope? She's a sweetie. She's in here at least once every week sometimes more. I think she gets lonely," I said with a sad smile. I could relate. I got lonely sometimes too. "So...what's up."

"Oh...I didn't see you at break."

"Oh. Is it already time?" I looked at my watch to see that I really had worked through my break. "Huh...I honestly didn't even notice."

"Well...I brought you this," he said producing can of diet coke from his pants pocket.

"You brought me 'on the floor contra-ban'?" I asked taking the can from him. "What kind of floor manager are you?"

"The kind that doesn't want his housewares manager to fall over due to lack of caffeine."

I laughed taking a long drink from the can. "Ah..." I sighed. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Just don't let the other managers know."

"You're secret is safe with me," I told him closing my eyes for a moment. When I opened them I saw Edward digging into my cookie stash on the counter. "Hey!" I exclaimed slapping his hand away. "Those are for the customers," I told him, even though he and I both knew I'd been nibbling on them all day. He raised one brow before taking a very deliberate and exaggerated bite of the cookie.

"Oh my god these are amazing!" He exclaimed taking another bite. "What on the earth do you put in these?"

"It's pretty much a basic sugar cookie recipe, but I always add a little bit of orange zest to cut some of the sweetness. I added peppermint oil to the ones shaped like candy canes," I explained as he finished one cookie and picked up another. "Don't you have work to do that doesn't involve scarfing down my cookies."

"Yes, but I like this better." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Excuse me miss!" A voice called out from around a display. I sighed and smiled at Edward before pushing off the counter and heading toward the man who was clearly out of his element.

"Hey Swan!" Edward called out to me before I got to far. I turned to him. "Try taking a break before the end of your shift okay? Besides you have to draw out a name for the company secret Santa"

"Oh that's right. I completely forgot. I will," I told him with a smile. "I saw that!" I called back without turning.

"I did nothing!" was Edward's all too innocent reply.

"You took another cookie," I accused turning this time to see him quickly hide the evidence behind his back. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What do you have cookie radar?" He asked incredulously.

"It's one of my many Jedi powers." I nodded trying desperately to keep my face serious.

"I have to say Lennon and Star Wars in one day. I'm a bad influence." I smiled and shook my head trying to control my chuckling before going and helping the gentleman, who I'm sure still didn't understand what the differences were between the two mixers he had been looking at when he left the store a half hour later. I had made the sale none the less and quickly began to wind things down for the last hour of my shift.


	4. Winter Wonderland

**A/N: Hello there everyone! I told you I'd try to get this chapter to you before the Holiday and guess what I actually managed to do that! How great is that? Really you all need to thank Lauren who is a beta ninja and gets these back to me at the speed of light. Anyway...Thank you all for your response to the last chapter...in the end real trees won out by popular vote, you have them or you wish you did so...that's what we went with in this chapter. The chapter is written in two parts. The first part's song is Silent Night by (insert really any choir here) and the second part is written to the title song Winter Wonderland as performed by Louis Armstrong. I really hope you enjoy the chapter...i'll see you at the end.**

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I hated manager meetings. That much was a fact. I knew that they served an important purpose in the grand scheme of things, but they really were a hassle from my point of view. Especially when I just really wanted to go home. It was a rare day for me. I was able to get out of working Friday afternoon and I wasn't scheduled again until Sunday, so I really just wanted to get my weekend started. But no I had to sit and listen to Jason from accounting drone on and on and on, about the numbers, and sales figures, and his plans to improve them. I looked over to see Edward's eyes close for a bit longer than was appropriate for a blink. When his head began to fall forward, I elbowed him in the ribs and he jerked up quickly. He looked confused for a moment before he let out a small chuckle and threw a smile my way. He mouthed a "thanks" before turning his attention once again to the man in the front of the room, leaving me once again to my own devices.

I used the time to study the people in the conference room with me. There was the other housewares manager Jean sitting next to her husband, Jim, who worked with Emmett in outdoor. Mostly everyone else it seemed had been bitten by the love bug. Victoria from women's was staring at James from menswear like he was something to eat, while James was unsuccessfully trying not to stare at Kate from Electronics. Angela, who was quite possibly the sweetest girl in the entire building worked in children's apparel and was now staring adoringly at Ben, the store manager. Jessica, who was the perfume counter gossip was staring hole's into the back of the first floor manger's head. Poor Mike probably didn't even have a clue that she'd set her sights on him, I wished him the best of luck. Emmett and Rosalie had surprised both Edward and I by sitting next to each other at the meeting. Their heads were now turned close to each other and I could tell they were writing something back and forth on the paper in front of them. I elbowed Edward again and he startled again. I hadn't known he'd fallen asleep again. I stifled a laugh and he mouthed "what?" at me. I pointed to Emmett and Rosalie and Edward's eyebrows rose as he watched their interactions

"I know," I mouthed back at him my own brows raised in surprise. The only people left was Garrett who worked with Kate in Electronics, and Tanya who was the guest services manager who worked with Ben. They were both staring off somewhere in space; their thoughts obviously not in the room. The rest of the staff seemed to be missing so I assumed they were on the floor and couldn't be spared. These meetings were mandatory after all.

Thankfully we didn't have to suffer for much longer after that because Ben, the general manager, took control of the meeting once more and began to wrap things up. "Oh and remember that we're doing the secret Santa exchange two weeks from now. Don't forget to bring your gifts to work with you on that Friday. That's all for now guys."

Everyone stood, stretched and began to talk amongst themselves. Edward rubbed a hand over his face. "God that meeting was dull wasn't it?"

"Shhh," I scolded him. "He might hear you," I warned him in a hushed tone.

"So," he whispered back at me. I rolled my eyes at his tone, for all of Edward's talk he wasn't one for hurting other people's feelings. I wasn't surprised when he changed the topic all together. "So who did you get?" He asked me referring to the secret Santa drawing.

I shook my head at him. "Uh-uh mister. That's why it's called SECRET Santa. It wouldn't be a secret if I told you."

"I'm good at keeping a secret," he assured me seriously.

"Hmm…" I tapped my chin in thought. "Nope still not telling."

"What?" He asked with mock hurt in his voice. "Did you draw my name or something Swan?" He wagged his eyebrows at me.

"No Masen as a matter of fact I didn't. That much I _will _tell you." Luck and I weren't typically on speaking terms, but in this case it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I thankfully had drawn someone I at least knew well. Emmett wasn't exactly the easiest person to shop for, but I would figure it out eventually.

Edward sighed at my non-answer. "Well then I'm not telling either then." I gave him a dubious look and pulled on my coat as we made our way to the bay of elevators. "Are you heading out for the day?" He asked me while we waited.

"Yeah. I lucked out I guess." I sighed noting that he too held his coat in his hand. He was probably just starting his shift. "I get to start my weekend just a little early this week."

"That's good. You deserve a break every now and then Swan. You work to hard."

"Says the workaholic poster boy." I scoffed at him as we climbed into the elevator that would take us down to the ground floor. "What are you going to do with the rest of your day?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I might take Quincy out for a run in the park. I really haven't had much of a chance to get him out much in the last week. I've been here every day."

"Will he still want to go out in this weather?" He asked confused. New York had had it's first snow of the season the week following Thanksgiving. There had been a good six inches dropped on NYC in the last few days and we were due for more.

"Oh yeah. Quince loves the snow."

"Huh…well then I'm sure he'd really like that then."

"Yeah." I would enjoy it too. While Quincy played I often got a chance to sit and people watch. I rarely got a chance to just slow down and take a minute to myself and every chance I got I took advantage.

The door opened up on the first floor and I stepped out, "Well then, have a good day Bella."

"You too Edward," I smiled as the doors closed.

I unlocked my door and I could hear Quincy's nails clicking against the floor above my head. I could tell he was pacing excitedly. "Hey there Quince!" I greeted him as soon as he came in sight. He gave me an excited bark. I undid the kiddie gate and was immediately attacked by him. "Hold on Quince. Let me put down my bag," I told him. When I had sat my bag on the counter I turned back to him giving him a lovable scratch on the side. His tail was wagging and whipping against my legs. "Did you have a good morning?" I asked him affectionately. He gave me his biggest doggy grin and I felt my own grin widen at the sight. I reached onto the counter next to me and picked up his leash. "Would you like to go to the park?" I asked him and he immediately barked and spun in two circles. I laughed. "I take that as a yes." I was given another bark, I leaned down and clipped the leash to his collar. I grabbed my purse along with the box of disposable baggies and we headed out.

I knew it was slightly out of the way and there was a dog park that was closer, but I always wanted to walk Quince the few extra miles and go to Central Park. It was something that always seemed so completely "New York" to me. It was one of the first places that I had visited when I got here and I liked the atmosphere this time of year. I had underestimated the wind and the chill that accompanied it though and by the time we reached the park my cheeks were burning from exposure and my fingers were chilled even through my gloves. I stopped by a café across the street and got myself a large coffee to try and warm up. The heat from the cup bringing feeling back to my numbing fingers.

As Quincy and I entered the park, I realized they had managed to clear off some of the paths. That was a pleasant surprise; at least I wouldn't be up to my ankles in snow the whole time. Of course I knew Quincy wouldn't allow me to have a completely snow free park day.

This side of Central Park wasn't the busiest and I managed to find a bench that had the snow cleaned off. I sat slowly sipping my hot coffee. Quincy flopped down on the ground by my feet and I reached in my purse to get him one of his biscuits. He took it happily and I closed my eyes and just existed for a few moments. I don't know how long I stayed like that but, suddenly there was a bark somewhere nearby and I felt Quincy's leash being yanked from my hand. I sprung forward in attempts to catch it but, only managed to send my coffee flying. Quincy was already at full speed running toward the sound of a possible playmate.

I took off after him as quickly as I could, nearly falling on my face due to lack of traction on the slightly covered walkway. "Quincy! Quincy come back!" I yelled as I followed him. I finally caught up to him where he was playing with a light colored retriever. "Oh thank God!" I said reaching to grab his leash off the ground and staying hunched over trying to catch my breath. "Quincy! Why did you take off like that?" I asked still panting. Quincy looked at me with that cute head cocked look, like his reasoning should be so obvious to me. I was surprised when I heard a response to my question.

"Men do crazy things for a woman," a very familiar voice said from above me. I rose from my crouched position.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" I asked in total surprise to see my friend here.

"The same thing you're doing." Only after he said it did I realize he was holding the leash of the other dog.

"Oh." I felt my cheeks redden this time not from exposure to the elements, but from embarrassment. "I didn't know you had a dog," I said quietly.

"Yeah, this is Megan," Edward said crouching down and ruffling the retriever's ears. "It appears she and Quincy were just getting to know each other."

"Do you mind?"

"No, of course not. Would you like to join us on our walk?"

"I'd love to."

"So, what are you doing over here? I thought you lived on the other side of town."

"I do now, but I used to live right over there," I told him pointing out in the skyline where my condo had been before I had moved.

"Oh I see."

"I like the dog park in our neighborhood okay, but I like it here more."

"I understand. It's one of my favorite places in New York."

We walked for a while just letting our feet carry us where ever they wanted to. Just like at work the conversation with Edward was an easy one. It was never forced or stilted; it was natural. It was different somehow though. At work, there was always that little bit of a wall we both had to keep up because we were at our place of work. Now that was gone and we could speak freely about whatever wanted, and we took advantage of that. As we strolled we talked about pretty much everything, from our favorite places in the city to our favorite Christmas carols. It was like playing twenty questions, but it never felt intrusive. He was shocked when we passed the ice skating ring and I told him I'd never been.

"How have you lived here so long and never been skating?"

"I don't know. I guess I never really had the time. I was always busy, first at P&G and then at Cullen's. I've always wanted to do it, but I just never got the chance."

"Have you skated before?"

"Yea. I used to go all the time with my dad. He used to play hockey in school and he always used to go to the local rink when he was off. I had to leave my skates back in Forks though."

"Why?"

"They were my mother's. She…she's not around any more."

"Oh, I'm sorry Bella."

"That's okay it happened a long time ago," I tried to shrug off the sad energy the topic had brought on.

"It may have, but I know how that feeling stays with you," Edward told me causing me to come to a stop and look at him full on.

"You do?"

"Yes. I do," Edward gave me a quirk of his lips.

Just then a particularly strong wind blew through and caused me to shiver. "Are you cold?" Edward asked concerned.

"No. I'm fine," I told him on reflex.

"Would you like some cocoa? They sell some in the stand over there," he said pointing to the small stand next to the rink.

"I'd love some," I told him reaching for my purse.

"I've got it Bella. Do you want to take the dogs and find us a bench? I'll get the cocoa." I nodded and took the leash and located a bench as he asked. I tied the dogs to the side and watched the skaters glide in front of me.

"Here you are," Edward said handing me a warm cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you," I told him and took a careful sip grateful that it wasn't hot enough to burn my tongue.

"No problem," Edward told me sitting down on the bench next to me. We sat in comfortable silence for a while before Edward asked another question. "Okay so real tree or fake tree?"

"Real tree," I told him with a smile.

"Really?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah."

"Where do you find it?"

"They have places that sell them you know. I don't get a huge one because of the stairs, but yeah it's always a real one. I love the smell of a fresh tree."

"It's so much work though."

"Not as much work as putting some of those plastic contraptions together. Alice had one of those stupid trees. It came in like a hundred or so pieces. It was insane!"

"Okay I see your point," he conceded as he took a drink from his cup. "So have you gotten it yet?"

"Nope. I was planning on getting it tomorrow, why?"

"Do you want some help?"

I smile over at him. "Are you volunteering Masen?"

Edward grinned back. "I am Swan. If you want help that is."

"I would love some help, but I have to warn you that Alice has already called in the troops and she can be scary."

"Who are the troops?"

"I think she's talked Rose, Em, and Jasper to come and help decorate both the shop and my apartment. She thinks the more the merrier. Really it's just her excuse to throw an impromptu party. I'd love it if you could come though. I'm making a bunch of cookies and stuff for us to munch on while we work. I don't think it will be so bad. If we divide and concur to do the shop then we can relax when we do my place. It's up to you though."

"You had me at cookies Swan," Edward said with a wink and Quincy barked in response to the mention of food. Edward and I burst into laughter Quincy gave us a strange look before turning away again, seeming to realize there was no food to be had.

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End notes: When i first started writing this story the Central Park scene was all i could think about...well that and something else that I'll have to tell you about at a later time :-) i don't want to spoil too much. I want to take this moment to say Merry Christmas to all of my readers. You guys are the reason why I'm pushing through right now. So tell me what it is that you thought of the chapter and tell me what is one of your favorite holiday memories from childhood. You might see it in the next chapter and reviewers just might get a visit from Santa Baby for Christmas...who knows. ;-)**


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